While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!
Serena’s Picks
Sports: Summer Olympics 2024
Per the usual, whenever the Olympics happen, it’s sure to pop for me on this list! Our TV was pretty much on the entire two weeks that the Olympics were running, though the first week was definitely my main point of interest. I always really enjoy all of the swimming events, and this first week also saw the return of Simone Biles in all of her glory. And what a fantastic return it was! I was on the edge of my seat through some her routines and perhaps got overly invested in it all!
Netflix Show: “The Umbrella Academy” season 4
What a wacky show this has been! Not only is the concept, characters, and storylines ridiculous (in the best way), but every season it’s been a wonder that Netflix renewed it! I was particularly pleased that they gave it a renewal for this last season so that the storylines could all be wrapped up properly. And there was a lot to like about this final entry! It does a great job of skewering the multiverse concepts that are all over the place in comic book movies, while also finally allowing its characters to age and tackling what dysfunctional superheroes living in suburbia would look like. Aidan Gallagher has always been the main draw of this series, and I was so pleased to see the storylines his character was given here. And, as far as endings go, this one felt right, even if it wasn’t what I would have wished for.
TV Show: “Alone”
Every late summer, this show is sure to turn up on this list! There’s just something so thrilling about cuddling up in tons of warm blankets while stuffing one’s face with food and offering up harsh criticisms to these contestants who are barely scraping by in the wild. “No! Stop wasting energy hunting and just sit in your shelter!” “Why would you build that elaborate of a shelter? Haven’t you seen any of the previous seasons where those guys always go home first?!” So much judgement, so little actual experience with anything similar. Good times!
Kate’s Picks
Musical Artist: Chappell Roan
I had heard of Chappell Roan before this summer, but when she exploded on the scene I was curious. And once I listened to it, I became a huge fan almost straight away. Her music itself has a poppy feel to it, it reminds me a little bit of The Go-Gos, a little. bit of Blondie. But it’s also unapologetically queer, which is really great to see, with Sapphic themes but also a clear aesthetic influence from drag and queer culture. She also likes to showcase drag artists in her music videos and before her concerts, which is AWESOME. And one of the best parts is that my kid loves ‘Hot To Go” and “Pink Pony Club”, so we can both enjoy car rides so long as Chappell is playing. It’s not often that I get caught up in a music trend these days as an elder Millennial, but hey, she’s fun and frothy and a hoot. Perfect summertime music.
Film: “In A Violent Nature”
We all know how much I love horror movies and how slasher films have a very special place in my heart. Because of this I was very interested in “In A Violent Nature” when I first heard of it, as it’s a slasher film that is almost completely from the perspective of the hulking, supernatural, slasher killer entity, starting from his resurrection and through his killing spree. HOW COOL! We follow ‘Johnny’, a supernatural slasher who is brought back to life due to partying young adults out in the woods, completely following Johnny and learning the story through his experiences. It’s meta, it’s a clever deconstruction, and I really, really loved the execution of it. The filmmakers clearly love the sub-genre, and while one may not think it would be suspenseful as we are LITERALLY following Johnny as he strolls around and kills people, I was still on the edge of my seat just WATCHING him slowly creep up at his languid pace, and then take them out. SO clever. But warning, also pretty violent.
TV Show: “The Decameron”
Who would think that a show about the Black Death would be such a laugh riot? When I first heard of “The Decameron” my interest was certainly piqued, given that the very premise is a bit of a dark comedy soap set in the Italian Countryside as the Plague ravages Europe. I sat down to watch when I had a night to myself and I found it to be a gallows humor filled hoot and a half, as well as an anxiety inducing meditation on mortality and class clashes in the face of death and disease. As the Plague is tearing through the cities of Europe, a number of nobles from Firenze are invited to a villa in the countryside to indulge in the fineries of life as they wait out the sickness, bringing their servants, riches, and terrible attitudes. But as dynamics unfold, tensions rise, and the body count rises, it becomes all too clear that escape from death isn’t a given, no matter how much money and privilege you have. Stand outs in the cast for me include Zosia Mamet, who plays a noblewoman who is worried she is an old maid at twenty eight, Saoirse-Monica Jackson as her dutiful but intense handmaid, and Tanya Reynods as a servant who has found herself in the position of being able to pretend to be nobility. It’s bleak in a lot of ways but it’s also hilarious with fantastic dialogue and some great madcap moments.
The Library Ladies 